Carmen a Hybrid
by RillFipher
Summary: Carmen is forced to live with her annoying cousin Gregor, and learns that he has a lot more to him than she thought. Gregor struggles to control his rager side when dealing with Carmen, and the results are small violence. Nothing to overboard is happening when Gregor looses him temper. (set two years after books.)
1. The Cousin

Carmen was 12. She had fiery red hair for no reason, dark hazel eyes, long, thick, black eyelashes, thin lips and a small nose. She had freckles all over her body, which made her embarrassed. She lived on a small farm in Virginia, her dad owning it, and mom off in la la land. She was a very grounded person, didn't like fiction books, or fantasy movies. Carmen kept to herself most of the time, only talking when she wanted to.

Her cousin was coming to live there soon, but she didn't know. She hated him lately. All he talked about was this stupid mystical world with giant rats and bats, and violet eyed people with pale skin. He was being so immature, and Carmen hated it, especially since he was older than her. Oh by the way his name was Gregor.

Carmen was watching TV when a knock on the door startled her. She walked to the door and opened it, there standing in the threshold, was her annoying cousin. _Oh no, Dad, I swear if I find out he is living with us!_ She thought.

"Yes?" she said, directing the question at her aunt and uncle standing behind Gregor. Behind them was Lizzie and Boots, her other cousins.

"We're moving in?" Gregor said, his voice sounding a bit confused. Carmen groaned, but opened the door to its full extent.

"Come in." She said, moving a box in front of the door so it would be propped open. She walked upstairs and found her dad. "What are they doing here?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"Oh, their moving in. Gregor and Lizzie are staying in your room, and Boots is sleeping with her parents. I'm sorry, but they are having a hard time, they just lost their grandmother." He explained. Carmen groaned. She walked out without a word, and stepped out the front door. The sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow over the vibrant green fields.

She walked in that direction in her small moccasins. Her feet moved her forward until she reached the fence that showed where their property ended and another started. She finally looked up and saw the edge of the sun duck below the horizon. She sighed, and was about to turn around, when a small shine caught her eye.

She stopped dead in her tracks, turning her head towards the shimmer. Her feet slowly followed her eyes, and she walked five steps to what she was seeing. She bent down, and realized it was a small, pale, violet rock. Her hand scooped it up, and she turned it over and over, studying it in the small light that the sun left behind.

She noticed another, and another, and followed the shiny rocks to a huge boulder. It was the same color as the rocks, and a series of too fats to hear taps and scratches flowed from within it. Then she heard a yell. Her father wanted her. She pulled out her phone and started to record how she got there, wanting to explore it more tomorrow. Then she ran back, the one thing she was good at was running.

She used to do things like track, but all the other kids couldn't catch up. She would lap them, on her fifth lap while they were on their secondth. It took her a third of the time it took to walk to the boulder when she ran back.

Her feet stopped when they hit the cracked wood of her porch steps. Sweat slid down her back. She opened the door and slipped off her shoes, she walked to the kitchen, tracking the amazing scent of pasta. Her dad was in the kitchen, stirring the noodles, and she smiled. Carmen had always loved the way he adapted to the new things in life. Her head turned to the dinner table. Boots was in a high chair, although she clearly was old enough to be sitting in a regular chair with just a booster seat in it. Next to her was Lizzie, and then Carmen's aunt and uncle, and finally Gregor.

Carmen walked to her seat, which was obnoxiously close to Gregor's own. It was at that time Carmen noticed Gregor looked depressed, almost on the verge of tears. He had strikingly white scars covering his arms. _Maybe he wasn't lying about the Underlanders. Wait, stop, your being irrational, he is probably a stupid kid that gets into a lot of fights._ Carmen thought.

"Gregor?" Carmen said subtly.

"Yeah?" He asked. Carmen realized that her aunt and uncle were there, so it probably wasn't the best time to talk about the scars.

"Anything new happen lately?" She asked.

"Got attacked by a giant rat, hat my bat friend's head ripped off by the same rat, and I fell in love with a princess, soon to be queen." He said, staring at the wood table. That was it. He had broken Carmen's last thread of patience. First, he moves into her room, then he talks about this stupid fantasy world, and her dad wants her to feel sympathy because his Grandma died.

"My god Gregor! Shut up about this fantasy world. It's not real and your being super annoying, with your stupid princess and dead bat friend!" She yelled. Everyone stared at her. Gregor got to his feet, he was a couple inches taller than Carmen, and kind of intimidating.

"The Underland, is real. And all of my friends there are real too." He said in an aggravated voice.

"No they are not! You're being stupid, and all those creatures are not real either! They are stupid, silly, idiotic figments of your imagination. And frankly, you should stop believing in the unreal!" when Carmen said this, fear rose in her chest. She could see the fun Gregor start to fade away. A new, more wise, more knowing Gregor replaced it. He had seen things unimaginable, she could tell. His eyes were focusing in and out, and little did Carmen know, he was starting to feel his rager side bubble up in his chest.

"Take. It. Back." He said, his voice warning.

"No." Carmen didn't break eye contact, and held his angry gaze.

Before Carmen could blink Gregor had pinned her to the floor, his arm raised to punch her. Lizzie caught his arm and tried to stop it. Carmen's uncle did the same, pulling Gregor off of her. All she could do was hold her arms up to protect her face from the punches raining down on her. When her legs were free she sprinted for the door, only one of her legs were caught by a hand. It was Gregor.

She let out a startled yelp as he pulled her backwards. Finally someone slapped him out of his dazed state. He blinked a few times and realized what happened.

"Oh god, I'm so so sorry Carmen. I'm so sorry." He said, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I-I forgive you." Carmen said. Clearly he didn't mean it. Clearly he had another side that tried to come out every now and then, and he couldn't control it. She ran up the stairs, her arms hurt from where he had punched them. Thank the lord she was strong enough to cover her face. She sat on her bed, realizing she attacked something dear to him and she deserved what she got.

When Gregor came in she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry Gregor. I didn't mean to say those things." She said, knowing her apology wouldn't help whatever came next. "Can you tell me the story? About the Underland?" She asked, wanting to understand what he held so close to him.

By the time he finished explaining, it was almost two in the morning. The part about code had triggered a memory.

"Gregor, the code, was it really fast, and did it have, like, taps and scratches or something?" When she said it Gregor's face lit up.

"You've heard it?" He asked.

"Yes, in a field, it seemed to be coming from under a huge boulder." She replied.

"You are going to take me there tomorrow." That was not a request. Carmen laid her head on her pillow, soaking in the information as she drifted off.


	2. The Rock

When Carmen awoke, sunlight was streaming through her curtains. Lizzie had slept with her mom and dad that night, not wanting to disrupt Carmen and Gregor.

Carmen sat up and rubbed her eyes, checking the clock. It was eight in the morning, way later than she usually slept. She grabbed a white tank top and skinny jeans, putting them on. She looked over at Gregor, chuckling.

She couldn't believe she believed him.

Her feet carried her downstairs to the kitchen, and she stumbled a few times. When she stepped into it her dad was making pancakes. She smirked and grabbed a bowl of cereal, sitting down at the table to eat. She scooped it into her mouth while going over what Gregor had told her last night. He had told her it happened two years ago, but he explained it in so much detail it could have happened yesterday.

"Honey?" Her dad said, shaking her out of her stupor.

"Yeah, Dad?" Carmen replied.

"You're eating air." He said. Carmen realized she was just scooping emptiness from her bowl, as she had already eaten everything. She laughed awkwardly, taking her bowl to the sink. Carmen walked upstairs, going to wake Gregor up. When she opened the door, he sat up.

"Morning, Overlander." Carmen teased. He gave her a 'you're stupid' look and got out of bed. "So, you ready to go see the weird rock?" She questioned.

"Sure, after I eat breakfast." Gregor replied, smiling. Carmen smiled back and shut the door, letting him get changed. She walked downstairs again and found some socks and her moccasins, putting them on.

A couple minutes later Gregor came downstairs in a grey T-shirt, and baggy sweatpants. He wore white sneakers, and they looked a little too small. She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.

He sat at the table and ate some pancakes, thanking her dad. He walked over to her.

"If we accidentally get swept up into the Underland again, we need a few things." He whispered. Carmen nodded and they both ran upstairs, grabbing two black backpacks from her closet. Gregor told her to pack a flashlight, a granola bar, sneakers, a water bottle, duct tape, and batteries. Carmen snuck in a few hair bands just in case. They put them on and walked downstairs.

"Dad, we're going on a hike!" Carmen yelled as they walked out the door.

"Ok! Be back by dinner!" He yelled back. Carmen smiled mischievously, walking next to Gregor.

"Gregor, how good are you at running?" She asked. Without a word he took off ahead of her. Carmen sprinted after him, catching up with him without a problem. He looked sort of surprised, but laughed. They continued to run until they reached the giant boulder. Gregor put his ear to it, hearing the same taps and scratches from The Code of Claw. He nodded his head in confirmation.

"We need to move the boulder." Gregor said, smiling as he took out a crowbar.

"Where'd you get that?" Carmen asked.

"Your garage." He answered. Carmen sighed and stared pushing at the rock while Gregor pushed the crowbar under it. They both started heaving and jumping on the crowbar. Little by little the rock moved, leaving a large dark abyss. Gregor smiled and grabbed a flashlight from his bag. He turned it on and shone it down the hole. When he wasn't satisfied he started making clicks with his tongue.

"What are you doing?" Carmen asked.

"Echolocation." He answered. Gregor grabbed her arm and swung her over the side of the hole, making sure her hands were firmly gripping the sides. Then he swung himself in.

"What do we do now?" Carmen asked.

"We drop." Gregor answered, letting go. Carmen closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, loosening her grip until just her pinky was hanging on. Then she dropped. She fell into the dark abyss, screaming as she did. Until she felt someone grip her arm. "Hey, hey it's ok. Just hang onto me. We are safe." He said from next to her. She pulled herself to him and hugged him, closing her eyes and she felt the air hurtle past her. Gregor kept his arms firmly around her, keeping her from passing out.

Finally they started to slow somehow. The wind started pushing against them.

"We're about to land." Gregor said, letting go. Carmen braced herself and felt the ground hit her back. It wasn't as hard as it would have been though. She stood up and grabbed the flashlight out of her bag, switching it on. She looked around and saw a large open land. It was all cold and her flashlight didn't stretch far enough for her liking.

"Gregor?" Carmen asked.

"Yeah?" He said from behind her.

"Where do we go?" She asked.

"I have no idea." He said, starting to walk forwards. Carmen followed close behind. "Turn off your flashlight, I should try to teach you something." He said. Carmen hesitantly did as she was told, and walked in darkness. "Make a clicking noise. Concentrate hard and try to hear the echo." He instructed.

Carmen started to click her tongue, closing her eyes as she did so. She concentrated on the clicks, trying to hear the echo. All she could hear was it coming out of her mouth.

"Gregor it's not working." She told him.

"Just keep practicing while we walk. You need to know this in the Underland." Gregor said. As they walked Carmen continued clicking and concentrating. They walked for hours, until the floor turned to stone. Finally they had to stop. Both of their feet were burning, and they hadn't had water in a while. Carmen sat down and clicked over and over.

"Gregor I can't do it! We've been walking for hours and I still can't echolocate!" Carmen became frustrated.

"Don't worry, it took me weeks to do." Gregor replied, rubbing her back. "Just take a little break and keep trying." Carmen sighed, and stared into the blackness for a little while, then started again. At that point they had started walking again too, and both of their stomachs rumbled. It was then when they saw a faint light in the distance. They continued on, and saw the light growing, and soon, a jungle of some sorts. Gregor sighed in relief while Carmen was about to pass out from exhaustion. They continued into the thick vegetation, and found a small clearing.

Carmen immediately laid down and closed her eyes. She fell asleep, and Gregor decided it was safe enough. He laid down and fell asleep next to Carmen, snoring softly.

Carmen awoke to the same humid jungle, Gregor lying next to her. She shook him awake, and they set off again, both sweating through everything they owned. Carmen heard a small squeak.

"Gregor." She said, looking in the direction it had come. Gregor turned and they both heard a squeak again. Then some rustling. Then two furry grey thing walked out. They were small with long snouts, and a pink nose. They looked like,

"Mice!" Carmen squealed, grabbing one and hugging it like a teddy bear.

"Nibblers, actually. Also, adult ones, so you should probably put him down." Gregor corrected. Carmen noticed that the Nibbler was struggling to be loose and let it go.

"Warrior, why are you here? And who is this?" The one who wasn't hugged asked.

"My cousin and I found a boulder and realized we heard the Code of Claw coming from inside. We found another entrance to the Underland." He explained.

"Overlander, would you like us to give word to the Queen? She would send a bat immediately." The other Nibbler said.

"That would be great."

"In the meantime, you can come to our haven. It's not far." One asked.

"Sure." Gregor answered. Carmen followed Gregor as he followed the Nibblers. They lead them through thick vegetation until they got to a small cave. Inside was a couple beds, a lantern, a small table, food, and water. There were small Nibblers running around and playing.

"We stayed here during the war against Bane. Nobody thought to look this deep in the jungle. My mate, Marilla, gave birth to these pups not too long ago. Their names are Silverfoot and Castlaw. And I am Tiberius." Tiberius explained. "She has gone to contact the closest flier of your presence, it will not take too long, but I am sure you would like to rest?" He asked. Carmen nodded while Gregor shrugged.

"Follow me, miss." One of the small Nibblers said to Carmen. She was lead deeper to a darker area, with two human sized beds laid out, and a small lantern in the corner. "We built this for any human refugees from the war against Bane, and decided to keep it." The little Nibbler explained. "I am Castlaw, the youngest pup. My brothers and sisters were killed by the rats, all except for Silverfoot and me. We keep each other company." He continued. "Oh, sorry, you must have had a long journey, I'll let you rest." He said, walking towards the front.

Carmen laid down and sighed as her limbs were allowed to rest. Her eyes slid shut and she fell asleep.

Gregor said thank you to Tiberius and walked to the beds they had for humans. He smiled as he saw Carmen already dead asleep. He got into bed and realized what was coming.

He would see Luxa and Ripred and all of his friends after two years of being gone. Had they changed? Had they stayed the same? How was the alliance with the Gnawers going? Was there a new war starting? All these questions circled through Gregor's brain as he closed his eyes. And although they were shut, he was wide, wide, awake.

 **Yay new chapter! I have improved my writing since the last and am excited to give this one another try! Remember to review!**


	3. The Bath

"Have you seen these kids? They went missing yesterday." Gregor's mom asked. Last night when Carmen and Gregor hadn't come back, they had an idea of where they had disappeared to. Gregor's mom had gone into hysterics, calling the police over and over. Carmen's dad had tried to calm her, not understanding her worry.

"Have you seen them?" Gregor's dad asked. The random person shook their head. They had been asking for over five hours.

"Sorry, haven't seen them Dave." They said. Carmen's dad's thoughts wandered around possibilities of what could've happened. Little did he know, Carmen and Gregor had just woken up.

Carmen woke up expecting to see the comforting sunrise, but only found the dark walls of the cave. She sighed, wishing it was all dream. Gregor was already out of bed and moving. Carmen's legs moved to get her out of bed, and she walked out of the room, grabbing her bag as she did. She had accidentally slept in her clothes. Gregor was sitting down next to Tiberius, talking about something.

Her stomach rumbled and she grabbed a granola bar, unwrapping it and shoving it in her mouth. She threw the garbage back into her backpack and sipped it up when a pale skinned person walked through the door. He had white hair, and violet eyes.

"Gregor the Overlander." They said, bowing.

"Please, I'm just a kid." Gregor said.

"The Queen has requested your presence in Regalia." He said. Gregor nodded, motioning for Carmen to join him.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Tiberius." Gregor thanked the small nibbler.

"It wasn't a problem at all." Tiberius replied. Carmen nodded to him in thanks, and followed Gregor out of the cave. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the giant black bat in front of her.

"It's fine Carmen, just a Flier." Gregor reassured her when seeing her face. Carmen swallowed the lump in her throat, and climbed onto the bat after Gregor and the violet-eyed person.

"Be assured, Overlander, I will not drop you." A deep voice sounded. Carmen screeched when she realized it came from the bat. "Except if you make that sound again." The bat said again. Carmen made a strangled sound and hung onto Gregor.

"All of the animals in the Overland can talk down here, and are double the size they are up there." Gregor explained. Carmen nodded, still holding onto Gregor.

The fly to Regalia was long, and they had to stop a few times to let the bat rest. The dark was replaced after their fourth stop by torches lighting up the land below. It was covered in bones and blood, some bodies still had flesh on them. Carmen couldn't look away, watching the gore rush by. Gregor gently grabbed her head and turned it away.

"You don't need to see this." He whispered, sadness filling his voice. "I was twelve when I had to fight a war, I don't wish that upon anyone." He continued. Carmen nodded and buried her face in his back. But although her eyes were closed, she could still see the image of blood and bodies rushing by.

Finally the bat landed, and Carmen gladly stepped off. She thanked them both with a shaky voice. She had never been fond of heights, and flying one-hundred feet in the air was not her idea of fun. She looked around. They had landed in a big arena. Bats and their bonds, at least that's what Carmen remembered from what Gregor told her, flew around above them.

A small sniff from next to her alerted her that Gregor was holding back tears. A huge smile filled his face, and he looked at home. Suddenly huge doors opened in front of them. What looked like guards walked in a square around a girl around Gregor's age. She had short white hair, violet eyes, and very pale skin. (Like everyone else.) Her eyes widened when they met Gregor's, and she stopped abruptly. The guards spread out, and gave her space.

Gregor and the girl's eyes stayed locked together, and the girl let out a small laugh. Gregor did the same, and they ran to meet each other in the middle. They threw their arms around each other. The girl started crying, which caused Gregor to also cry. Carmen watched with a small smile on her face.

"It's so good to see you, Luxa." Gregor whispered.

"It's good to see you, too, Gregor." The girl named Luxa whispered back. Then they both remembered that people were watched and stepped back, wiping away tears. Carmen slowly walked over to them. Luxa noticed her, and her face turned to stone. "Who's this?" She asked skeptically.

"Oh, this is my cousin, Carmen." Gregor explained.

"Hi." Carmen said awkwardly. Luxa's smile came back.

"Follow me, we have a lot to catch up on." Luxa said. She turned around, and walked through the doors she came through. Gregor held her hand as they walked, while Carmen walked behind them. As they walked through the streets, people pointed them out and whispered. They eventually reached a big smooth building. A wooden platform was at the base, and a few ropes trailed all the way up to an opening in the side of the building. They got on, and the platform started upwards. Carmen looked over the side of the edge, seeing about fifty feet from her and the ground.

Her stomach churned and she covered her mouth, about to vomit.

"Ohh, heights are not my cup of tea." Carmen mumbled, standing closer to Gregor. They reached the top, and Carmen gladly stepped onto the solid floor.

Luxa walked through the hallways, which made no sense to Carmen, and stopped outside of a doorway. Inside was a long dining table, with food set out in the middle.

"I had just started eating when I heard of your arrival. You are welcome to join me." She said, sitting down. Gregor sat down next to her, and Carmen sat next to him. They started eating, and finished not soon after. Luxa explained what had happened in the last two years.

"When you left, clean-up started. We fixed buildings, and resupplied our weapons and farms. The alliance with the Gnawers is going well, and we just finished cleaning Regalia a week ago. Our people have also repopulated, and now our numbers are back up." She finished. Gregor nodded. "But, I also have bad news." She said. "Vikus has… passed." She said, tears prickling her eyes. Gregor's eyes widened in horror.

"H-How?" Gregor asked, sorrow drowning his voice.

"Natural causes. He was getting very old, and he passed peacefully in his sleep." She explained in a shaky voice. Carmen had no idea who Vikus was, but he must have been important. Luxa took in a deep breath. "Hazard is ok. He has started training to be a translator, already fluid in most languages. He has also taken an interest to Overland languages. I believe he is learning Spanish, although it is useless in the Underland." She said. Gregor continued nodding. "Now, you must go and bathe. I trust you remember the way, Gregor." She said.

"I do. See you later, Luxa." He said.

"Goodbye." She said happily.

Carmen followed Gregor through the halls, into a big room. There was a, what looked like a, bathtub in the middle, and there was constant water running through it. There was also a toilet and a sink, with the same running water. Gregor mumbled something about the room being remodeled.

"You go ahead, I'll find another. When I'm done I'll come back to get you." Gregor said. Carmen nodded. She closed the 'weird stone door thing' and stripped down. She climbed into the water and let out a sigh of relief. It was warm. She scrubbed herself down, and washed her hair.

That was when she remembered it had been over a day since they left. Their parents were probably worried sick. She tried not to think about it while she got back out and grabbed a towel off on a small rack. A small knock sounded at the door, and then she heard footsteps walk away. She opened the door to find clothes, and she scooped them up. She pushed the door closed and put on the clothes. It consisted of stretchy pants, a fitted top, undergarments, and sandals. She put it all on, and surveyed her hair in a mirror over the sink. It stuck out at all angles and was frizzy.

A small brush caught her eye and she sighed in relief, brushing the tangles out of her hair. Then she took a hairband and braided her locks to one side, a few stray pieces falling in front of her face. She looked at the brush again, and felt a smile creep onto her face. Her hand grabbed it, and she stuffed it deep into her bag, under her old clothes.

She stepped out into the hallway and didn't see Gregor.

 _He must not have finished yet._ Carmen thought. She leaned up against the wall, when a shadow caught her eye. She looked and saw nothing, turning back. Then it happened again, and by the time she looked it was right next to her. She took a step back, and saw it at its fullest. It was a giant rat with two scars across his face, forming a cross.

"Hello." He said. Carmen screamed and fell backwards onto her butt. She used her feet to propel her backwards. The rat followed her, his tail swaying lazily. "I see they've brought yet another Overlander here, how typical." He mumbled. Carmen finally found her feet and she got up, stepping back from the rat. She spotted Gregor at the end of the hallway and let out a tiny sigh. Then she darted around the rat, and ran to Gregor.

"Oh my god, oh my god, Gregor there is a rat." She said. Gregor looked over her, and saw the rat turn. Gregor's jaw dropped to the floor. The rat saw Gregor, and a weird grin crept onto his face.

"R-Ripred?" Gregor asked.

"The one and only." The rat said in amusement.

 _ **Oh geez, haven't posted in a while. Sry about that.**_


	4. The Prophecy

"Wait. Wait. Wait. This is Ripred? I expected him to be a bit bigger, and didn't his tail get cut off? Wait… no that was Pearlpelt, right?" Carmen asked, completely shaking off her fear. She seemed to smell something. "Did you eat tacos recently?" She asked. Gregor and Ripred both looked surprised.

"Yes, I did actually." Ripred answered.

"Woah." Gregor said in astonishment.

"What? What did I say? Gregor you know I love tacos! Do Underlanders have tacos down here? Oh, wait! I wanna meet Hazard! And Temp! And Ripred! Oh wait, he's already here. Hehehe." Carmen rambled. "Wow, you do have the scar. That's cool! Also the same fur, and teeth! Geez, when was the last time you chewed on something? You are probably gonna die soon if you don't. Oh wait, you already know that. Well I have a rock if you need." She took it out and threw it at him. He caught it and instantly started gnawing. "Ok, I have a couple questions. Can I ask them?" Carmen asked. Ripred seemed pleased at the attention.

"Fire away."

"OK. When you do your spinney-attack thing, does it hurt to like smack your tail into stone?" She asked.

"Would it hurt if you smacked your hand against metal?" He answered. Carmen nodded.

"Second question. How are you not dead? Like seriously. You have encountered everything!" She asked eagerly.

"You can't be soft-hearted to live in the Dead Lands." Ripred said, laying on the floor as if he were bored. As he did five crawlers scurried towards them. To Gregor, they all looked the same. But to Carmen, each of them were totally different. Whether it was a dark spot or differently placed leg, they all had unique traits. "Liha, Marus, Crat, Krem, Tek." Ripred regarded them.

"Ripred." One of them said. Then they all scuttled off down the hallway.

"So, you've finally learned to respect the crawlers?" Gregor asked.

"Something like that." Ripred answered. This seemed to make Gregor happy.

"So, any idea why we have to bathe? I thought the whole rat against human thing had been settled." Gregor asked.

"It was… Until the humans flooded the Labyrinth, killing over one-hundred rats." Ripred explained, sitting up. He looked sad. "I guess peace can never really rein for long." He added.

"Why'd they do it?" Carmen asked. "The humans, I mean."

"They learned that the rats had found trees. Actual, living trees. And decided that they wanted it for themselves." Ripred said.

"But Luxa said the alliance with the rats was going good." Gregor said.

"Well, she must have been lying. The Queen has the tendency to do things like that." Ripred replied. Then he shot onto his feet as he remembered something. "Wait, didn't you say something about smelling tacos earlier?" He asked Carmen.

"Yeah. My dad said that I would be able to smell color if I tried." She answered. "Man, I wish I could've met Twitchtip. She sounded really cool." Gregor gave a small nod. Then something hit him.

"Ripred… could she? I thought it was an Underlander thing." Gregor said.

"It is possible." Ripred studied Carmen. "And, since you are related, she could also share your trait." All of this made no sense to Carmen. "That could also explain the prophecy."

"There's _another_ prophecy?" Gregor asked. He seemed kind of mad. "Could you show me?"

"I was actually headed that direction anyway." Ripred said, and motioned for them to follow him. While they walked, Gregor and Ripred caught up on things, mostly how well his rager stuff was going. Carmen though of the tacos again, and her mouth watered.

Finally they reached a wooden door, and entered. It was the only wooden thing Carmen had seen down there. Inside was a very skinny, very shaky Underlander. Her hair was in knots and she had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up.

"Gregor. I expected you." She said, smiling. Gregor laughed, knowing the joke. Carmen had no idea what it was.

"Well, I have to attend to certain matters. Try to get her into training as soon as possible." Ripred said, and left. Gregor sighed at the comment. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure she _didn't_ become him.

"I see you're looking good." Gregor said. Nerissa let out a small laugh.

"As do you." She replied. Then her attention turned to Carmen. "You are Carmen?" She asked. Carmen nodded. "Then I think it safe to read the prophecy." She shuffled her way over to the left wall, and moved a torch to illuminate one of the many prophecies on the walls. Gregor moved with her, and Carmen stood behind them. There was a small title over the writing, it read: The Prophecy of the Hybrid.

"Looks like Sandwich wrote it in a hurry." Carmen observed the messy scrawls.

"Yes, it was his last poem. We figure he wrote this knowing his light would be lost soon." Nerissa explained. The words light and life were interchangeable down here in the Underland. Gregor had a concentrated look on his face, and he was scanning it. That was when he shot up and pushed Carmen out of the room. Nerissa shakily followed them.

"Dude! What's your problem?" Carmen asked.

"You don't need to read that poem." Gregor said, a look of sorrow on his face.

"What? Why?" Carmen asked. Gregor ignored her.

"Nerissa, I need to speak to you in private." Gregor said. They both disappeared inside the prophecy room, and closed the door. Carmen pressed her ear up against it, but the wood was too thick to hear through. On the other side, Gregor was almost fuming.

"Gregor, I did not realize…" Nerissa said.

"Nerissa, you do realize she could _die._ She brought me here because I told her to, but I would've just stayed in Virginia if I knew that we were supposed to fight." Gregor said in a harsh whisper.

"I know, Gregor, but now you have to. It's either that or…" Nerissa trailed off.

"Or what?" Gregor asked.

"In my vision, I saw you both with a rat. I do not know the rat's name or where he stands, but I know you can take refuge there while we wait for the attack. Then it should be safe to travel to the Overland." She told him. This seemed to sink in for a minute.

"Fine. Take us there." Gregor said. This relieved Nerissa.

"I will arrange it. But right now, your cousin must train." Gregor opened his mouth to protest. "It is the smartest thing to do, with war approaching. She needs to be able to defend herself if things go wrong." Gregor his mouth again, but Nerissa cut him off. "Would you have wanted to battle the Bane without experience or weapons?" This seemed to sway him, and finally he caved.

"Fine. Does Mareth still train kids?" Gregor asked. Nerissa nodded.

"Nike is waiting in the High Hall to take you." Gregor nodded.

"Thanks, Nerissa. I really don't know how I would've lived if you hadn't been there all those times." Gregor said, his tone softened. Nerissa smiled and nodded.

"And thank you, Warrior, for risking your life for Regalia." She said.

"No problem." And Gregor opened the door.

"Finally! You guys took a million years. I could've grown a beard." Carmen exclaimed. "Can I read the prophecy now?" She asked, peeking around Gregor.

"No!" Gregor yelled. Then he cleared his throat. "I mean, no. We need to train you." He said. Carmen sighed.

"Fine. But I'm not going to war, am I?" She asked.

"No, it's just a safety net." Gregor calmed her. "On the bright side though, you get to meet Nike." He tried. Carmen beamed at the idea. The whole way there she was smoothing her clothes and making sure she looked presentable while she rambled to Gregor about how she loved zebra stripes. Finally they reached the High Hall, and they crossed to Nike.

"Greetings, Overlanders." She said.

"Hey, Nike. How's it been going?" Gregor asked.

"Very well. Howard and I have bonded, and he works down in the Fount sometimes." She said. "And who are you?" She directed the question at Carmen.

"I'm Carmen. Gregor's cousin. I've heard a lot about you, and I think you're super awesome." Carmen said, holding her excitement in.

"Thank you, Carmen. I am sure you have the spirit and capability that Gregor does." Nike complemented.

"Thanks." Carmen said.

"Shall we go?" Nike asked.

"Sure." Gregor said, and then climbed on. Carmen climbed on behind him, and they flew to the arena.

 ** _I just finished the books and noticed spelling errors and/or change of canon things. I hope you can ignore this, for when I started writing I hadn't read the books in a while. Luckily I now have them on hand and can keep up. Love ya!_**


	5. The Attack

When they landed, an Underlander came up to greet them. Carmen caught scent of something delicious, and her mouth watered.

"Gregor, I'm hungry again." She said. He ignored her and greeted them.

"Hello, Overlander, my name is Lance. I will train you." He said. Then a bat flew over. It was a deep red, and had black swirls all over. "This is my bond, Zeus, he will be helping out today." Lance said.

"Greetings Warrior." Zeus said. Then he turned to Carmen. "Greetings Overlander." Carmen gave a small wave.

"Now, how much experience does she have?" Lance asked, surveying me.

"None." Gregor answered.

"Hmm… We should start with sword training." Lance said. "And would you like to brush up on your skills?" He asked Gregor.

"Sure. Couldn't hurt." Gregor replied. Lance nodded and they all followed him to the corner of the field. She was given a long blade that had four sharp edges. When she held it she imagined Gregor and how he fought off the snakes. She was taught simple moves, and where to stab on a rat. It was jarring at first, to understand the violence, but she got used to it eventually. After about two hours Lance suggested the Blood Balls. This sparked Carmen's memory of Gregor sitting on the floor telling her the tale. Gregor saw no problem with it, and Carmen was put behind the machine.

Carmen held the sword like a base-ball bat, and it was lucky that she did, because before she could react something big landed on top of her. It was instantly impaled, and the blood soaked out onto her. She shrieked and pushed the thing off her. It was a rat. She held up her hand, it glistened with the thing's blood. Her eyes widened in horror, and she dropped her sword. She bent over and retched. Gregor grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. She wiped her mouth and looked up. Rats were falling out of the seats from high up in the air. Just as they were about to land they twisted so their backs landed first. This cushioned their fall. Some broke their backs and died, but most survived, and were surrounding every Underlander. Almost all were killed, except for the lucky few who could jump on bats and go alert guards.

Gregor grabbed Carmen's blade and started defending them. Lance jumped onto Zeus, taking the sword out his belt in a quick motion. They started slashing away at the rats, taking minimal damage. Zeus flew upside down, Lance holding his blade out to catch any upcoming threats. But a rat slashed Zeus's wing open, and they crashed. Carmen watched Lance's throat get ripped out, and Zeus laying passed out on the mossy ground. By this time Gregor and Carmen had be pushed back against a wall. A rat slashed from the right side and Gregor sliced its hand off. While Gregor was distracted on the right, a rat swooped in from the left and grabbed Carmen around the waist.

"Gregor!" She screamed, trying to squirm out of the rat's hold. Gregor spun around, and saw her being taken. He started to run to her, but a certain golden bat grabbed him and flew out of there.

"Let me go! Let me go, Aurora!" Gregor desperately yelled. "Carmen!" He yelled, watching the arena slowly get smaller.

"Get off me!" Carmen yelled as the rat ran from the arena. "Help! Help!" She screamed. But soon everything was black, no torches to be found. She made small whimpers and went limp. The run went on for hours, and fatigue took over. Her head eventually fell and she nodded off. She would need to be alert if she was going to escape.

A sudden stop awoke Carmen, and she was thrown into a pit. There were a couple of torches, and blankets and pillows. Zeus was thrown in beside her, and metal covering was placed over the pit so Zeus couldn't fly out. He stared at the wall. And even though he wasn't saying anything, Carmen could sense he was devastated over Lance's death.

"Why didn't they kill us?" She asked quietly.

"Did you not read the prophecy?" He asked after a long pause. Carmen shook her head. "Well… It's a good thing I have it memorized." And he recited the poem to her.

 **Ok, this is a** ** _tiny_** **chapter. It is mostly due to the fact that I am hesitant about releasing the prophecy yet. I can tell though there will be a filler chapter after this focused on Gregor and Ripred. That will probably also be a small chapter. Another thing, I am thinking of rewriting some of the earlier chapters to make them more interesting. I was hoping somebody could give me an idea of what was a little unordinary. Until next time!**


	6. The Brother

" _The hybrid will come,_

 _The hybrid will stay,_

 _But do not think your choices wont sway._

 _Because she decides where she stands,_

 _She decides the fate of the Underland._

 _Bonding with red and black,_

 _Will take her choice to him and back_

 _Five are lost,_

 _And may she die,_

 _Gnawers won't gnaw,_

 _And fliers won't fly._

 _May the warrior fail,_

 _And her life be lost,_

 _Find the Queen,_

 _And find the cost._

 _Do not fail,_

 _For if you do,_

 _You fail the people,_

 _You fail the new."_ Zeus recited.

"The reason they didn't kill us is because they think we are the Hybrid and Bond mentioned."

"Wait, what? But I can't be the Hybrid! I'm only twelve, and being a hybrid means you need to be a mixture of things, and I'm only one! Human!" Carmen said.

"Please, lower your voice, you may not think it but they do. That is the only thing keeping us alive right now." Zeus said. Carmen immediately quieted down. Zeus acted calm, but Carmen could tell on the inside he was mourning hard.

"I'm sorry about Lance. He was really nice." Carmen said.

"Thank you, but it is not Lance I am sad about. It is another human I knew. She was in the arena at the time and didn't have a sword on her. I watched her die." Zeus said.

"But Lance was your bond…?" Carmen was confused.

"Actually, he wasn't. He was just nice enough to cover up my other bond. Her name was Kim, she was an outcast and was sentenced to never be bonded to again, but we wanted to bond. So we did, and Lance helped us cover it up." Zeus explained.

"If you were bonded, how were you able to always save each other?" Carmen asked.

"We always were in the same room, or place. And never had any attack that we couldn't discreetly handle together. But this came so fast, and by the time I could get up into the air with Lance, she had the light taken from her." He said. Carmen had to feel for the big bat. Then Ares flashed across her mind. Zeus reminded her greatly of him, even though he had only been described to her by Gregor.

"I'm sorry to change the subject, but did you happen to know Ares? Gregor's bond?" She asked.

"Yes, I did. He was my brother."

 ** _Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm trying to catch up on all my other fanfics. The plot twist was something I had planned since I first read the books, and I hope it shocked you! Love ya!_**


	7. The Orphan

****Carmen stared at the big bat in awe. She felt the urge to bow down.

"But, Gregor told me that he was shunned by everyone except him Aurora and Luxa. Why weren't you there?" She asked, a little mad that Ares had a brother that didn't help him.

"Well, I was currently at the Fount in jail. I was wrongly accused of murder… I'd rather not talk about that." He said. Carmen nodded and slid down one of the walls, leaning her head back against it. She was still extremely tired and shut her eyes slowly. She heard Zeus mutter something about four hours.

 _"_ _Mama? Mama?" Carmen's voice was high as she wandered New York's streets. A note had been left for Carmen saying that her mom was leaving. Her dad had left for work leaving Carmen at daycare. But he didn't come and pick her up. She held an old brown dog to her chest and sobbed while looking for her mom. The streets had been evacuated, due to the amount of large rats seen in the area._

 _"_ _Dad?" She asked, her voice cracking. Her sobs came harder and she plopped down on the sidewalk, wailing._

I'm only three… _She thought, not able to speak them properly yet. Just as she looked up she saw a figure run toward her and she screamed. It was big and furry, and scooped her up. She hugged her small stuffed dog and cried into it. She lifted her head as the thing ran past a figure. It had the same fiery red hair as her father, and it was laying face down on the road._

 _She kicked and squirmed and ran to her father. She rolled him over, and the sight before her made her heart crack and get reinforced with iron at the same time. Her dad's eyes were glassy and lifeless, and his throat was gone, replaced with blood and gore._

 _"_ _DADDY!" She screamed louder than she could've ever thought. Even though she was only three, she understood what was wrong. She fell to her knees and shook him._

 _"_ _Wake up, Daddy!" She cried, shaking harder. He remained the same way… lifeless. She turned around and saw the big furry thing next to her again. It had a diagonal scar across its face and she recognized it from her alphabet books._

 _"_ _R is for rat." She whimpered as it scooped her up._

 _"_ _Shh, Shh, I will protect you." The rat said in a comforting voice._

 _"_ _But Daddy…" Carmen cried. The rat picked her up and handed her the stuffed dog._

 _"_ _He… He is with your Mom, one day they will come back and get you. Right now they just sick, and they need me to come and take care of you while they get better." He told her, rocking her gently. She nodded, understanding this. "Come on, let's go." He said, and darted back to what Carmen knew as 'Sertal Bark'. Otherwise known as Central Park._

Ripred cursed. Why didn't it occur to him before that Carmen looked exactly like that poor child he rescued some years ago? It was King Gorger himself (Before he rose to power) who ripped out her father's throat. He just sat down at the long dinner table when Gregor had walked through the door. He had huge bags under his eyes and he trembled. He occasionally mumbled something like 'not her' or 'my fault'.

"Gregor, I know you're grieving, but she is still alive, you have read the prophecy. Look, Carmen is an orphan, right?" He asked. Gregor looked at him in surprise, he seemed to have snapped out of his stupor.

"How did you know that?" He asked. Then he remembered something. His family went to go see his new cousin in Virginia.

 _"_ _Gregor, I am orphan. Big rat with scar." She rambled about this when she was five and he was seven. When she said scar she kept running a finger diagonally across her face._

"R-Ripred…" Gregor said, he stepped forward, in what Ripred thought as a threat. But to his surprise Gregor _hugged_ him. "Thank you. For everything. Not just this." Gregor said. Ripred slowly unpeeled Gregor from himself, but still was mad.

 _Out of all the rats that hadn't taunted him, tortured him, mocked him… he hugged_ me _?_ Ripred thought. Something similar crossed Gregor's mind.


	8. UPDATE PLEASE READ

O O F. So i was rereading CaH and I saw so many errors and runon sentences that I literally have to rewrite this. Each chapter is going to be at least 1,500 words, and have more character development. Once all chapters are rewritten I will continue with the story, but for right now i need to do this without mentally cringing at myself. Also since I do enjoy seeing my improvement, I will keep the last seven chapters, and rewrite them completely after this update. They will be labeled the same with a 2 after them. Oki that's it.

(P.S. sorry for leaving Y'all in the dust and driving away, I had some stalker problems and had to solve them, hopefully I can be more productive and stop procrastinating. Oki bye)


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